News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-07-28
SOME OF THE BEGGAR FRAUDS.
The Confessions of a Pagan in This
Line of Business.
IFrom the Boston Globe.J

ga year ago | kept boarding house
on Carver street, which was the genera
headquarters for the crowd, said the
man who told the story. cat no time
were there less than dozen men and
women who earned their living solely
working the street. The average num-
Der of bOardcrs was about twenty. They
were mostly natives of Belgium, who
| spoke French freely and were frequently
| mistaken for French people. Some were
| Italians and q few Germans. Perhaps
half dozen Erenchmen might be found
among them, but some way they did not
seem to like the business, OF else they
were too proud to follow it up.
II was master of the house and got
SO much money every week for board
and lodging, besides the professional
advantages. If they didn't pay up
prompt they had to get out 1t was a
principle of the house not to do losing
business. Yes, I'll show you over the
house.
''That bed over in the corner used to
be occupied by an old fellow who worked
Temple Place on the blind musician
racket. He looked like q wreck any
way and if it hadn't been for his red
nose and easy way of finding his way
around he would have made a big sue
cess. As it was he didn't do very bad.
After four years work in New York,
Philadelphia and Boston he carried away
81, 1000 back to Belgium. He has a son
who expects to start next summer with
as much more.
''In the next room lodged fellow by
the name of La Fitte, who was over six
feet high and strong enough to knock
out an OK. He played the broken arm
racket one whole winter and used to
average from Sc to SO day.
'Then there was another man who
had bear He didn't do as well in
Boston as he did in New York, and before
he left town he was disgusted with Bos-
ton. He was an Englishman and drank
ale enough to drown his beast. I asked
him once why it was that he left so sud
den. He said that Boston was played
out and that it wouldn't give any chance
to gentleman trying to earn an honest
penny"
With these words the man once more
started downstairs.
"How much did your boarders make?"
inquired the reporter.
''It all depended upon their profess
sional ability" was the reply. 'Some
used to make as high as $l0a day on the
average. Why, there was one feller
with both legs cut off who used to room
here, who got So week from a woman
on Beacon street one whole season. He
was walking up Charles street one day,
and near the Beacon street crossing
tried his old trick of getting nearly run
over by horse car. Two old ladies saw
him rs he waddled along, using his sticks
to help the leather stumps which he
uses for feet. The driver didn't see him
until he seemed almost under the horses
feet Then he put on the brakes. Those
ladies We're scared, it seemed like such
narrow escape. They needn't have been, |
because he was stumper in long prac- |
tice and knew just what risk he could
lfford to run. At just the right minute
le got out of the way. Pretty soon the
ladies' overlook him, and pitied his bad
luck in being cut off that way. He told /
a good story about a sickly wife and .
hungry children.
'EThOse old ladies told him to call next !
day, and he came down to the house and
bet the boys a bottle of wine that he
would stick the old LAZY for a ten He
went to see them per agreement, came
back with a new crisp $40 bill and an
order on a downtown lawyer, who was
the old lady's attorney, for a weekly
pension of $5. This caused much fun
among the boys, and they helped JAG
uues spend the whole amount before
morning. That gift made seven of the
dirtiest beggars in Boston royalty
drink" "